Maine State Police are offering free training for civilians who might encounter an active shooter at a workshop in central Maine.

A Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course will be held 7-8:30 p.m. Monday at the Readfield United Methodist Church, 1564 Main St., Readfield.

According to a press release, “The course is designed and built on the ‘Avoid, Deny, Defend’ strategy which provides strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event. Topics include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options, medical issues and considerations for conducting drills.

The course is free and open to all.

Les Priest, lay leader at the church said, “We’ve been talking about this for some time. In light of what’s going on in the world, we thought it would be good to reach out to everyone.”

For more information, contact the church office at [email protected] or call 685-4211.